Portland Opera and The Immigrant Story Stage 'The American Story' for U.S. 250th
The joint production features live music and storytellers from three communities whose citizens have not always received constitutional protections.
By Marco Ortega ·
The Portland Opera is joining The Immigrant Story for a live program marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The Immigrant Story started in 2017 as a photo project pairing portraits with short descriptions of immigrants' and refugees' experiences. Sankar Raman, who immigrated to the U.S. from India, founded the nonprofit. It has since expanded into a multimedia organization with live storytelling. For this program, Raman shifted focus to U.S. citizens who have not received the full liberties and protections the Constitution guarantees. The production, titled "The American Story: 250 Years of Becoming," pairs live music with three storytellers who are Black, Mexican-American and Japanese-American citizens. Chani Hawkins is one of the storytellers. Alfrelynn Roberts serves as artistic director of the Portland Opera.
Raman, Hawkins and Roberts discussed the program in a conversation with "Think Out Loud®." The show airs live at noon daily and rebroadcasts at 8 p.m. Listeners can reach the program by email at thinkoutloud@opb.org or by voicemail at 503-293-1983.
"Think Out Loud®" broadcasts live at noon every day and rebroadcasts at 8 p.m.
Source: KOPB-FM
